“What!” Jacob stood in alarm. “We’re getting you to the Med Center.” He reached out to help her stand.
She pulled her arm back. “I already tried, but it’s chaos. I’m not the only one who’s been exposed.”
Jacob blinked in alarm. Remembering recent angry groups that he and Trajan had quelled, he became frightened. “I don’t care how many are jammed in there; you’re getting medical care right now.”
“I really don’t have the energy to walk all the way there.” She rubbed her nose, leaving a red smear across her left cheek. “I just want to sit quiet. When I move, my stomach cramps. Leave me be.”
The bright red streak of blood terrified Jacob. “I’m taking you, now.” He swept her up into his arms and marched toward the exit. “You come and run interference,” he ordered Dion as they headed out.
Eyes wide, Dion slid open the panel for them. Jennie’s head drooped listlessly onto Jacob’s shoulder as he gently accelerated his speed, thankful for the lessons in control that Trajan had drilled into him.
When he arrived at the entrance to the Medlab, he was appalled at the crowd that extended out into the corridor. He pushed his way forward, hearing the angry cries of those who were waiting patiently nearby.
“Hey, get in line like the rest of us,” a voice shouted. “There’s a triage system. Take your turn.”
“Ah, don’t waste your time. He’s one of the captain’s pets,” a voice drawled. “Different rules for them.”
Ignoring the comments, he followed Dion who cleared a path into the Med Center. Deeper in, he finally found the doc he wanted.
Luttrell glanced up, fatigue etched on his face. His eyes shifted to the girl in Jacob’s arms. “Oh no, not Jennie. Don’t tell me she’s got radiation poisoning.”
“She needs help, doc. She’s not good.”
Luttrell nodded. “Give me a minute.”
Several voices shouted, “Critically wounded first. Wait your turn.”
Luttrell patted his current patient and murmured for him to get rest, then signaled Beth. As he studied the girl, he said to his aide, “Put them in my office.”
“John, you need that space and you need to rest. Let another doctor take her. We have several others.”
“Just make her comfortable there and do a work up. You know the procedure.” He flapped a hand. “There’s a bottle of antibiotics in my top left drawer.”
“That’s your personal stash, John.”
“Beth, I don’t have the time or energy to argue with you over everything I say. Just do it.”
She glared at Jacob. “Follow me.” With Dion in tow, she led them to an area back past the incubators.
Opening a door, she entered a unit and pulled down a cot. From two cabinets, she retrieved bedding and a pillow. Jacob slid Jennie onto the makeshift bed. He discovered that he was shaking and collapsed into a chair. Dion sat in a second chair while the nurse examined the girl.
“Yep, it’s radiation sickness. Didn’t she use a safe pod?”
Upset with the nurse’s irritated tone of voice, Jacob retorted, “She was helping with the kids at the nursery and they ran short, so she was left out.”
“I told them to build more.” Beth shook her head. “I just hate telling people I told you so.” She patted Jennie. “Here’s an anti-nausea pill. Take one every four hours.” She looked up. “Someone stay with her and make sure she hydrates. She’ll get diarrhea and cramping next. Her nose could bleed some. You boys up to this? It’s messy and hard work. Take shifts, and Dr. Luttrell will look in on her as soon as he can.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” said the very polite Dion.
Jacob leaned forward and put out his hand. “Yes, thank you.”
Beth flashed them a tired smile and left.
“I’ll take the first shift,” Dion offered.
“Not likely,” Jacob responded stiffly. “I’ll be first watch.”
Jennie closed her eyes. “If you two start arguing in front of me, I’ll make you both leave. Let me rest in peace, please.”
“Everything will be all right,” Jacob assured her.
She opened one skeptical eye.
“Would you like a sip of water?” Jacob asked, holding out a glass with a trembling hand.
“That would be lovely.” She reached for it.
After an uneasy silence, Jennie turned her head. “Jacob, get something to eat… and take a shower. You need one. The smell is making me sick.” She wrinkled her nose.
Offended, he stomped out but not without glaring at Dion who viewed him with his own irritation.
Jennie smiled weakly at him as he left.
He passed the doc who was entering. He almost turned around to go back in, but decided a more honest report from Luttrell would be forthcoming outside of Jennie’s presence, so he continued on.
Within a short period of time, he returned, all showered, shaved, and feeling much better… until he saw Jennie’s condition had worsened.
The smell of sickness hung in the air, and Dion displayed a wide-eyed panicked appearance.
Jacob’s presence caused Jennie to open her eyes. Noticing his return, she croaked, “Dion, it’s your turn to eat something and change clothes.” A wan smile followed the comment.
Jacob noticed that she hadn’t mentioned any stink on Dion.
After Dion left, Jacob settled into a nearby chair and reached for her hand. As she turned her head toward him, he noticed several strands of hair fall onto the pillow. Horrified, he stared at them.
“I’m not a pretty sight,” she croaked.
“You’re beautiful. You’re always beautiful to me.” Tears brimmed in his eyes.
She closed hers, but a small tear trickled down the side of her face.
“How do you feel? What did the doc say?” Right away he realized the stupidity of the question.
“I’ve felt better.” She paused to catch her breath. “He’s concerned.”
“You’ll be fine,”
“No, Jacob, I won’t be fine.”
He paused, not knowing how to make her better; not knowing how to make this nightmare go away. “You want some water?” He reached for the glass at her bedside, not knowing what else to do.
She shook her head. “Water won’t stay down.” Another clump of hair tumbled onto the pillow.
He balled a fist. “Those stupid, captains. I hate them. Trajan is having trouble preventing riots, and he says other ships are joining together for a takeover. A lot of people disagreed with the decision to circle a black hole, even if it meant ships gained velocity. They warned Reardon that it was too dangerous.”
“No, Jacob. Don’t be a part of any violence. People get hurt.”
“I’d like to …”
She reached for him, pain flashing in her eyes. “Don’t be an idiot.” Blood bubbled between her lips. “Promise me you won’t participate in that kind of stuff.” She flopped back down, exhausted.
“Jennie…”
She gestured him to lean in closer as her voice became a whisper. “Because we now have more speed, you will have the opportunity to find a new world to live in.” Her eyes glistened. “You’ll know what it is to have dirt spill through your fingers, to feel wind ruffle your hair, to enjoy a sun warming your shoulders, to…” She started coughing and blood spurted out.
“Aaah!” Jacob jumped back.
“Oh, sorry.” She reached for a tissue, wiping it away, then dabbed at his hand splotched with blood.
He stared at the bright red stain. “Jennie, you’ll be right beside me. We’ll ... “
She closed her eyes. “Jacob, dearest, I won’t be with you. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m dying.”
“No, no, you’re not. You’re going to get well.”
Opening her eyes, she stared at him until he looked away. “I want you to spread my ashes on the new world.” Her voice wavered. “Help the fleet reach their goal so I can be a part of it, too. Promise.”
“Jennie …” Emotion choke
d off all words.
“No, promise.”
“I promise,” he whispered.
“Good. Now, I need to talk to Dion alone. Send him in and you go.”
“Dion!”
“Yes, you two need to take care of each other after I’m gone.”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Jacob, I’m dying. And after I’m gone, you need to get on with your life and do something worthwhile. Find someone to love and help this motley fleet reach a world to live on so humanity can survive.”
So he left, stumbling, because he could barely see out of tear-filled eyes, to find that irritating, no good, fair-haired Dion.
Chapter 31
Time Tricks
“Jennie?” Ahead of him, her ghost darted around a corner and vanished from sight. Jacob quickened his pace, but as he reached the turn, he thought she now followed him. “Jennie?” He whirled around as the elusive image slipped around a dark form who walked toward him. She disappeared down the dim corridor. His eyes searched forward, but that way now lay empty. He must be losing his mind. A staggered misstep threw him against the corridor’s wall where he sagged, gasping.
A strong hand gripped his arm, causing him to jump. “Jennie!”
Trajan’s worried face swam into view. “Jacob, Jennie’s dead. You carry a vial with you that holds her ashes. There was a funeral where you spoke eloquent words about her.”
Reaching for the small vial on a gold chain around his neck, memory of her death and funeral returned, igniting pain and grief. He raised an unsteady hand to rub his face. “I’m losing my mind, Trajan. I thought I just saw her ahead, and then …” He twisted around.
Trajan shook his arm. “It’s the effect of high speed. As we approach faster than light speed, our perceptions distort what we see. I’ve seen duplicates of my duplicate. Trajan shook his head and dropped Jacob’s arm. “It’s upsetting to say the least. Two kids are more than enough, but sometimes I see four. It’s unnerving. You’re grieving. You’re not losing your mind.”
“Maybe it’s a bit of both.”
A thin smile quirked along Trajan’s lips. “Most likely. Go lie down. Get some rest.”
“Then I’ll go crazy for sure. I need to do something.” Jacob straightened up and pushed off the wall.
Trajan looked around. “The captain just signaled me and wants me on the bridge. If this corridor would quit taking odd turns, maybe I could go see what she wants. Most likely it’s one of her special ‘missions’ and you’ll be involved.”
“I don’t know whether the possibility excites or frightens me,” Jacob retorted.
“Maybe it’s a bit of both,” Trajan quipped over his shoulder as he headed out waving an arm.
Elise sat in the captain’s chair, gripping the armrests. Ahead of her, Tango rose from his seat at the same time as he stood and talked to Jazz. Unexpectedly, he sat down again and collapsed back into one person. She rubbed her eyes. Damned relativity
Jazz glanced at her and tapped her headset, causing red curls to dance. “Commander Reardon on the line for you, Captain.” She added into her headset, “Nice talking to you, too, Tate.”
“Captain Fujeint here,” Elise husked as she went online. She heard Jazz click off.
“Elise, it’s Commander Reardon. We managed our high speed, but it’s brought a bucketful of problems. Several ships are threatening to leave the fleet and others warn of imminent mutiny. No one has weapons yet, but rumor is that some are quietly arming. And this blasted speed has affected my vision. Other are also claiming they’re having hallucinations.”
“I’m experiencing odd visions myself.”
Reardon continued, “With ten percent fatalities due to radiation exposure, this new problem of distorted perception is the icing on the cake.”
Cake. When had she last had cake? A birthday party flashed into memory. Over five years ago.
“Yes, sir.”
“We need to slow down, Captain.”
“We do, sir.”
“Not easy to do in the vacuum of space.”
“Our front jets may be all we need to slow down a bit. It’s not like we want a full stop.”
The rough baritone voice snorted. “I agree. Tate will send the figures on what speed we want to attain. I’ll contact each captain personally. Is your ship under your control, and, are you with me, Elise?”
“Right now, yes to both, sir.”
“Good, I’d like to keep it that way. Reardon out.”
The bridge entrance chimed. Jazz leaned forward. “It’s Trajan. Should I let him in?”
“Please do.”
She brushed back her hair and smoothed out a wrinkle in her tunic. She hadn’t seen her ex-guard in a while as he’d been busy with his new family. She wondered if he found raising his clone as challenging as she did.
As he arrived at her chair, she greeted him. “Trajan, how nice to see you. Marriage agrees with you; I presume?”
He smiled. “Most assuredly.”
“And fatherhood?”
“A challenge.”
He’d put on weight and looked softer … not the hard-edged warrior of the past. Still, one glance and you knew not to cross him. He waited patiently for her to explain why she’d called him there.
The bridge slid sideways a bit, then snapped back. Trajan must have also felt the effect for his head swiveled like a turret gun, searching for hostiles.
Their eyes met. She sighed. “A velocity close to light speed causes a distortion in the space/time continuum. We need to slow down.” She tapped her tablet. I’m assigning you and Jacob the job of working with engineering to inspect the maneuvering jets, especially the aft ones, to make sure they’re clear and function properly.”
He nodded sharply.
She paused.
He raised an eyebrow.
She took the plunge. “Then, work with Jimbo to design and install a defensive weapons system.”
His eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
She shifted in her seat. Tugging at her top, she explained, “If anything were to attack us, we’d have no defense. Recent disturbances within the fleet make me feel vulnerable. Who’s our expert in weapons?”
“We have no one who specializes, but Chet Wood knows a lot about space weapons.”
“All right. Ask him what we need to do to develop a defense system. If someone attacks us, I don’t want prayer to be my only means of defense.”
“Who would possibly attack us?”
The world slid sideways again as she answered, “I have no idea, and I prefer not to find out, but just in case, I want to be prepared.”
***
Jimbo stuck his hands on his hips and scowled. His jagged scar on his cheek bunched up. “I told the captain the jets were clear. I don’t know why she thought they wouldn’t be. I keep them clean.”
Trajan rolled a shoulder and hefted his suit and helmet. “Strictly a precautionary measure, sir. It’s a delicate maneuver, and the Captain wanted to make sure they’ll be no hiccups.”
“Harrumph.”
Jacob shifted his own equipment. With a glance around, he said, “The new updates look good.”
Sweeping an arm around the room, Jimbo grinned. “Yeah, well, Carter helped streamline the operation. The magnetic containment field for the antimatter is now maintained by robots. Keeps us mere mortals out of harms way. I’m glad to be away from that black hole. The radiation levels around here got far too high for my health.”
Trajan noted an expression of grief surge across Jacob’s face. It must have registered on both of their faces for Jimbo quickly added, “Uh, that’s right, you lost that friend of yours to radiation sickness. I’m so sorry.” The big engineer, usually so gruff, appeared genuinely sympathetic.
Jacob stared at the floor, trying to get control of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes suddenly filled with tears and his breath caught. He pushed back a wail of grief and centered his thoughts.
Trajan
grabbed him and pulled him away, mumbled consoling words. Jacob stumbled after, struggling for control.
With their gear stowed in lockers, Trajan turned to him. “If you could bring Jennie back, would you?”
It seemed a serious question.
Shock rolled through the Jacob. “Of course, but she’s dead.” He paused, puzzled.
“Come with me.” Trajan strode away.
Confusion trickled through him.
They stopped, facing the entrance to Luttrell’s lab. “Would you care how old she was?”
Jacob stared at the lab’s door. “Having her near my age was nice … but if I could just get her back, I wouldn’t care.”
Trajan nodded and spoke into his comm. “I have Jacob with me now.”
The panel slid open and John Luttrell faced them. “So, are you ready to become a parent, Jacob? You’ll need to find a wife.”
A laugh issued from Trajan. “He found me a wife, and now I can return the favor.” An evil grin wreathed his face.
Jacob stood speechless, staring into the room.
The doc ushered them forward. “If that’s the case, then, Jacob, meet your future daughter.”
Across the room was an incubator that held a small, growing embryo. Attached to the front was the word, ‘Jennie.’
Jacob’s world shifted at that moment, and it wasn’t because of the relativity factor.
Chapter 32
Weapons of war
Elise squinted over at Tango. “Prepare to fire aft jets at one quarter power. Let’s get the rate down a tad. Are we clear of all ships?”
A nod from Jazz, and “All clear,” sounded in her headset.
“Heading?” She glanced at Jensen.
“On designated course.” He pointed to the display and gave a thumbs up.
Commander Reardon’s voice came on in her headset, “All ships fire aft jets at one quarter power on my mark. We’ll wait a shift and see if any perception distortion re-occurs. Triangulate your speed off the designated quasar and use that to measure results. If the problem persists, we’ll fire again and recheck. Ready…mark. Fire.”
“Fire,” Elise ordered.
A World Too Far (Terran Trilogy Book 1) Page 17
